webinar presented by WCIU
Join our community along with our guests US Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black, Dr. David Oginde, & Dr. Pangernungba Kechu on March 26th for a free webinar exploring what it means to be the incarnational presence of Christ in our world.
“The cradle of the church was the marketplace. From the preaching and public ministry of Jesus to the daily acts of the Apostles, the central scene was the marketplace…The marketplace is where we belong..It is not enough for the church to hang a welcome sign on her door. We dare not wait for the world to come to us.” (RC Sproul)
The Gospels present us with the compelling narrative of Jesus in the public square or “marketplace” (Mark 6:56). The picture they paint, however, is not one of direct confrontation with the centers of political power, or even speaking about political issues. For Jesus, the public square had to do with meeting people where they were, in the brokenness of their lives, and addressing them incarnationally and meaningfully. He sought to offer a vision of an alternative kingdom, where truth, justice, mercy, love, empowerment of women, upliftment of the downtrodden were the hallmarks.
This webinar seeks to address this critical understanding of Jesus in the public square. In some ways he is already present in the public square and our job is to follow him into that space. We anticipate this webinar to help us appreciate what the gospels reveal to us about Jesus’ engagement in the public space, who he engaged with, and how he engaged. Our mission is not “to take” Christ into the public square, but rather “follow” him and his example as we seek to be his incarnational presence in our world.
featuring special guests
BARRY CLAYTON BLACK Ph.D., D.Min., D.D., L.H.D., D.P.S., LL.D. RADMU, USN (Ret.)
United States Senate Chaplain On June 27, 2003, Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.) was elected the 62nd Chaplain of the Senate. He started his work on July 7, 2003. Prior to Capitol Hill, Chaplain Black served in the U.S. Navy for over twenty-seven years, ending his distinguished career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains.
Chaplain Black is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and an alumnus of Oakwood College, Andrews University, North Carolina Central University, Palmer Theological Seminary, Salve Regina University, and Alliant International University. In addition to earning Master of Arts degrees in Divinity, Counseling, and Management, he has received a Doctorate degree in Ministry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology.
He has authored six books beginning with his autobiography, From the Hood to the Hill (2006), The Blessing of Adversity (2011), Nothing to Fear (2017), Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven (2018), and Bible Wisdom for Better Living (2019). And A Prayer for Our Country: Words to Unite and Inspire Hope (2022).
Chaplain Barry C. Black is married to the former Brenda Pearsall of St. Petersburg, Florida. They have three sons: Barry II, Brendan, and Bradford.
Dr David Oginde (Rev) PhD, FCPS is the Chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) – the official government agency for promoting values and ethics and combating corruption in the Kenya. Dr. Oginde is a thought leader on matters of leadership and governance. He is the founder of The Catalead Associates, a leadership development firm that runs Courses, Coaching, and Consultancy for individuals and organizations. He holds a PhD in Organisational Leadership from Regent University USA, a Master of Arts in Leadership from PAC University, and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nairobi. Dr. Oginde has a passion for leadership development and has led several training workshops and seminars for corporates, government, and non-profit institutions on various aspects of leadership. He teaches the PhD class in Organisational Leadership at PAC University, and runs the popular fortnightly program the Leadership Forum on Hope FM. He has published several books and written articles in various leadership journals. Rev Oginde is the immediate former Presiding Bishop of Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) where he led several organisational transformation initiatives placing CITAM as a cutting-edge institution. Rev Oginde is the University Council Chairman of the Mama Ngina University College (MNUC). He is also the Vice Chair of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA). He is married to Nancy and they have two young adult.
Dr. Pangernungba Kechu serves as professor of Society and Christian Ethics at the Oriental Theological Seminary, Nagaland, India. He holds a PhD in Religion and Society from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, USA.
He has been involved in the clean elections, human rights and reconciliation movement in South Asia, particularly in North East India.
Kechu employs research and various modes of community engagement for equipping and mentoring Churches, local bodies and younger generation for building resilent and transformative communities.
